Teen rammed after stealing car, leading chase through park

A Utah teen has been arrested after police say he stole his grandfather’s car and took it for a joyride through a neighborhood park before the driver of a pickup truck intentionally collided with him.

Video taken at the scene shows the car speeding across the grass at Founders Park in Syracuse, Utah, north of Salt Lake City, as children scramble to get out of its path.

The 14-year-old had taken his grandfather’s car without permission and his grandfather had reported the theft to police, according to the Syracuse Police Department.

Police were able to locate the teen after someone listening to a smartphone police scanner app heard the attempt to locate and reported having seen the car.

The driver of the truck, Bryson Rowley, told police he intentionally rammed the fleeing car because he was afraid for the safety of the children at the park.

“The person driving the truck could see it was turning back into the park, and he did not want the car to hit all of the children, or any of the children, and he actually pulled his truck in the way so the car collided with the truck,” Officer Erin Behm with the Syracuse Police Department told Fox 13.

Neither Rowley nor the teen were harmed in the incident.

The teen was taken to a juvenile detention facility. Police told the Associated Press they found a firearm in the car.

Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @stephgrimes